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Pope Francis, remove pro-gay Fr. Martin as advisor to Vatican

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5 months ago

NOTE: After signing the petition, you will have the chance to send a personalized postcard to Pope Francis, requesting he reconsider his appointment of Father James Martin as Consultor to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication.

The Vatican named Jesuit Father Martin a consultant to its communications office in April of this year, a move that shocked and dismayed many Catholics due to Father Martin’s unabashed and continual affirmation of homosexuality.

Since that time, the editor-at-large of America magazine has become even more vocal in his advocacy of LGBT issues.

Father Martin’s homosexual-affirming advocacy has also been amplified since release this past spring of his book, Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity.

The book is critical of the Church’s handling of LGBT persons, and in it Father Martin calls for an end to firing LGBT individuals from Church employment due to their living in open conflict with Church teaching, despite this being the long established employment expectation in Catholic institutions.

He also says the Church should use the terms of choice of the LGBT community to describe them, such as “gay,” lesbian,” and “LGBT,” as a sign of sensitivity and respect.

Father Martin also advocates in the book for allowing LGBT-identifying Catholics to participate in Church ministry without mention of conversion from any sinful lifestyle.

The book consists of the content of Father Martin’s lecture last fall to New Ways Ministry, a homosexual advocacy group condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the U.S. Catholic bishops for its misrepresentation of Church teaching on homosexuality.

It has been criticized by a number of noted clergy and Church leaders for its flawed premise that the Church has erred on God’s plan for human sexuality.

The following are various other instances where Father James Martin has been publicly in conflict with Church teaching, potentially leading countless others astray:

Farther Martin told the pro-homosexual organization PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) in mid-August of this year that God made LGBT persons who they are.

Around that same time Father Martin told Good Morning America that shock music performer Lady Gaga’s LGBT anthem “Born This Way” was likely inspired by Psalm 139 ('You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made')

Father Martin told the dissident New Ways group last fall that some bishops have already called for us to set aside the phrase “objectively disordered” when it comes to describing the homosexual inclination, specifically citing the Catechism, No. 2358. He concurred with this idea, because the language according to him is needlessly hurtful.

This represents a blatant selective application of the Catechism, as the phrase so often used by Father Martin to advocate LGBT issues, “respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” also derives directly from the Catechism, No. 2358.

Please join in petitioning Pope Francis to rescind Father Martin’s Vatican appointment and to correct his public errors regarding Church teaching on human sexuality. Many souls are at risk!

In the next step you'll have the option to send out an email or postcard to Pope Francis.

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To: Pope Francis

Dear Holy Father, it is with respect and reverence that we write you with the request to reconsider your appointment of Father James Martin as Consultor to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication.

We also respectfully request you oversee a fraternal correction of Father Martin for his creation of rampant confusion in the area of sexual morality with regard to Catholics and others experiencing same-sex attraction or otherwise identifying as LGBT.

While he presents a plea for dialogue within the Church on LGBT issues, he offers an extremely narrow and selective sampling of the Catechism to support his stances, neglecting the fullness of Church teaching in regard to ministering to persons identifying as LGBT.

Father Martin’s advocacy for LGBT issues gives the appearance that the Church can change her teaching on sexual morality.

His errors mislead people who are in need of the Church’s love and guidance.

The real-life result is Father Martin’s apparent message of accompaniment and dialogue is being used as license for homosexual activity. This puts souls in grave danger.

Father Martin rejects criticism of his advocacy, often prompting his multitude of social media followers to scorn those drawing attention to the error. This invitation for followers to deride opposition to the inaccuracies further leads his supporters astray.

Father has continually scandalized the faithful with his representation of LGBT advocacy.

While he has been pervasive with his message for some time, this has been ramped up in recent months with the release of his latest book.

Consequently and tragically, Father Martin’s curial appointment has served to embolden those who are agitating for the Church to abandon her teaching on sexual morality.

Holy Father, please consider rescinding this appointment and act as soon as possible to counsel Father Martin on authentic love for anyone struggling with chastity, for his welfare and for that of his many followers. Please act so that the positions of prominence he has been given within the Church will no longer be venues of confusion putting many souls at risk.